


Reverse Mitosis

by smolonde



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Abuse, Alternate Universe - College/University, Blackrom, Blood, Caliginous Romance | Kismesis, F/M, This is NSFW, black/ red fluctuation????, god they hate each other so much i love it, kind of violent occasionally, precious kk falling for the worst bitch, rape mention, the closest i'm going to write to smut tbh, there's some fighting in the opening
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-24
Updated: 2015-06-09
Packaged: 2018-04-01 01:05:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,068
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4000093
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/smolonde/pseuds/smolonde
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>College AU where bio student Vriska's project is ruined by a douchebag in her class. Shenanigans ensue.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Telophase

 Your name is Vriska Serket, and you will give every last buck that you have for the loud douchebag behind you to shut his windhole.

The guy behind you is talking to his dorky computer nerd buddy. No, talking isn’t the right word for it. More like yelling at the top of his lungs. His voice is grating on your nerves, and you know that you are going to snap soon enough.

You really, really wish you could say that you don’t know this guy. Unfortunately, you do know that his name is Karkat Vantas, he is a douchebag, and most importantly, he is a student in your biology class. You know that college classes normally have a supervising teacher, but the professor that teaches bio, Dr. Scratch, doesn’t care enough to watch the club, seeing as he’s always off doing some research or another. His last instructions to you as a class were to log onto a computer program called GCAT, design a properly functional DNA code for a human baby, and present it to the class in three days. It’s been an hour since the project was assigned, and you’ve only just started working on it, and this jerk is not helping your concentration at all.

“Damn it, Sollux, I want you to figure out how to use this goddamn program, not for you to take forever trying to fix my screen quality! Fucking hell, can you put down the perpetual bullshit wand you’re carrying for once?”

Your eye twitches, knowing full well that you’re not going to get anything done until he shuts up. But he doesn’t seem like he’s going to do that anytime soon.

“I’ve got ninety-nine problems, and this stupid lousy goddamn project wouldn’t be one of them if you could actually try to help me get this program running. Sollux, stop being a nerd lord and get this fucking program running, because this enormous quantity of asshole factory production isn’t going to get me an A this semester. I cannot even articulate the absolute stupidity that you’re projecting onto everyone in this room. I swear, even Ampora is being affected by the pure idiocy that you radiate.”

A dorky hipster kid in the corner looks over, then turns back to his monitor, mumbling. You look away from the scene that Karkat is causing, trying to immerse your mind in the image of the DNA helix on your screen. Unfortunately, this does not work, seeing as he is becoming increasingly distracting.

“Come on, man. You’re going to make me cry tears of fury because of how slow you are. I absolutely despise the fact that any intercourse of dialogue has ever happened between us. We are done. Friendship between us is completely ended. Your “computer skills” are goddamn useless anyways, god only knows why I asked you to help me—“

And you are so, so irritated at him, so angry, so consumed with boiling hate at him, that you grab your wireless mouse, whip around in your swivel chair, draw your arm back, and aim straight and true at the back of Karkat Vantas’s head. In slow motion, it hits his curls, then his scalp, snapping his head forward with the force of your throw. The mouse bounces back to the floor as Karkat leans over, motionless at his computer.

He turns around slowly, looking you straight in the eye with a mixture of disbelief, fury, and hate.

“What. The. Hell.” He stands and strides over to you.

You look him straight in the eye, smile condescendingly, and then turn back around. “Sweetie, you need to learn how to shut your mouth.”

He starts yelling, and you can hear him yelling obscenities at you. You don’t care; that is, until he leans over you and starts pressing buttons on your laptop, yelling the whole time.

“You complete bitch. I swear once I’m done that there isn’t going to be a laptop for you to work on—“ 

“What the fuck do you think you’re—“

“You can’t goddamn throw a mouse at me without consequences! I will make sure you eat my shit for every goddamn meal—“

“Let go or I’m going to break your arm—“

“Ugh—“

And then you both freeze, noticing that your screen is completely blank, the helix erased from Karkat’s elbow pressing the delete button about sixty times.

“Vantas, what did you do?” Your voice trembles with anger, your fingers scrabbling over the keyboard, pressing every possible button you can think of; undo, repeat, escape. But your project has been wiped off the face of your laptop, and as you frantically search your files, nothing comes up.

Karkat’s eyes go wide, his face turning slightly pale under his wheat-colored skin. “Oh fuck. Vriska, I….. Oh fuck—“

You leap from your chair, the program still sitting open. “Do you have ANY idea what you just did? Oh my God. It’s completely gone. Fuck. I’m going to fail.”

Karkat is standing there helplessly, his mouth open, blinking in shock. He doesn’t move; well, not until you sprint straight at him and tackle him to the floor.

He lands on the carpeted floor with a loud thump, and he’s still completely out of it when you start throwing punches at him. He finally snaps out of it when you punch him in the nose, making him bleed profusely. He’s only three inches taller than you and not much heavier, so you assume it’s going to be easy to beat the shit out of him. Unfortunately, you are wrong. For such a lithe guy, he’s incredibly strong, as you realize when he rolls over so you’re under him, pinning you down to the floor. The two of you struggle; he’s got you in a leg-lock, your hand pulling his hair, the other raking your nails down his back. He howls in pain as your long nails break his skin, and from the sudden flash in his dark brown eyes, he seems to realize that fighting dirty is the only way to win against you. He snaps his head down and sinks his teeth into your collarbone. When you writhe, screaming profanity, he pulls back and looks you straight in the eye. For about three seconds, you look at each other, his blood dripping from his face onto yours, seething with utter hate; yet some tiny, tiny part deep in your stomach flares to life, sending one clear message to your brain that rises above every other burning rage inside you; _this is really fucking hot._ Judging from how quickly Karkat’s eyes spark with rage at you, you assume he might have caught on to your train of thought. You flash him a smile, staring almost mockingly up at him, and he bares his teeth, practically hissing, and it’s _so goddamn beautiful_ —

“Mr. Vantas. Ms. Serket. Would one of you like to educate me upon what I’ve just walked into?”

Your faculty advisor has just stepped into the classroom, taking in the scene. He is impeccably dressed in a white suit and a black bowtie, with spiffy black shoes, and you could almost swear that he’s smirking. The two of you look up at him in guilt, your arms still wrapped around Karkat’s torso, but he continues to speak at you.

“Judging from the mess that I’ve entered, Ms. Serket, you seem to have started the fight. Mr. Vantas might have instigated it, but it seems as if your short temper got the better of you as per usual.”

He looks around at the rest of the students, who give him stunned looks. “Class, would you agree with me that a fair punishment should be given to both these students?”

The class looks highly uncomfortable, unwilling to stand up for either of you. _Traitorous bastards._

Doc Scratch looks at you, and if you didn’t know better, you’d say there’s a malicious gleam in his eyes. “Very well. The two of you will both get zeros on your genetics projects.”

You spring up, using Karkat’s slackened grip on you as a springboard. “What? That’s not fair!”

Karkat jumps up as well, starting to open his mouth, but Doc Scratch silences him with a look from his creepy, pale blue eyes.

“Life isn’t fair, and neither am I. You’re both biology majors, and I would expect better from both of you. Mr. Vantas, correct me if I’m wrong. You want to go into genetics, correct?”

Karkat nods his head wordlessly, looking at the ground.

“Well, the genetics field certainly doesn’t want an instigator, let alone someone as mouthy as you.”

He turns to you next. “Ms. Serket, you want to go into arachnology. That field requires patience, calm, and dedication, and it doesn’t seem as if you have any of those skills based on what I’ve witnessed from you so far.”

You consider baring your teeth at him, but something about his sharp nose and his pallor makes you cautious.

“My decision is final. The rest of you, get back to work. You two, you don’t need to come to class for the next three days, since there’s nothing for you to work on. You may be excused.”

And as the two of you walk from the classroom, you hear a whisper in your ear.

“Don’t even think that this is over, spiderbitch.”

You turn around and smile, leaning over so your lips brush his ear.

“We both know I’ve already won, Karkles.” And you sink your sharp canines into the lobe of his ear.

As he yells in protest, you strut down the hall, making sure that he gets a good look at your ass on your way out.


	2. Anaphase

It’s been a day since Karkat deleted your project and got you in trouble, and damn, you’ve had a lot of time to stew.

You don’t know what you were thinking when you flirted with him. You’re not generally into guys like him, thin and tall and bony. Even his personality puts you off; he’s selfish, he’s stubborn, he’s petulant and childish, and obviously a pretty angry guy. Absolutely nothing like you. Not to mention he got you to fail on a thirty-point project. Your blood is still boiling from Doc Scratch’s admonitions; this professor is one of your only shots at getting into a profession in arachnology. This raging douche had no right to hurt your grade, let alone your future, and you absolutely despise him for it.

At the same time, though, you spent all of last night looking at the ceiling, remembering Karkat’s rage-filled face above yours, blood dripping from his nose, eyes flaming in fury. Somehow, you can recall everything about him in perfect detail, even though you’d barely spoken to him before except to taunt him. His eyes, that deep, deep brown, the color of melted chocolate; his softly curling black hair framing his dark face. You even remember a birthmark on the side of his neck; twin freckles, like vampire bites. You’d be hesitant to call him attractive after what he did, but unfortunately that hesitation is mixed with a feeling of _hot damn, 10/10 would bang eight times over—_

NO. No to the eighth power. He is repulsive, annoying, and a little shit. You’d be better off fucking a saguaro cactus than Karkat Vantas. You would rather face the apocalypse than even look at him. And yet—

Your thoughts are interrupted by a knock on your room’s door. You don’t really know anyone on campus, and the small handful of people you do know dislike you, so you figure it’s probably your roommate Feferi. You get out of bed, almost tripping on an eight-ball lying on your floor, and make your way to the front door. You pull the door open, barely looking at the figure in the doorway.

“Fish princess, I’m going out for dinner, you got plans or—“

And then your eyes refocus on Karkat Vantas, looking at the ground.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” you yell, your voice filled with incredulity and anger. Karkat flinches back and makes eye contact with you. You’re momentarily stricken by how his eyes capture the light and reflect it back like dark honey, but you catch yourself. “Um…Go away!”

He stares at you for a moment, then snaps, “Why don’t you shut your fucking mouth and let me explain before going batshit crazy on me?”

“What could you possibly have to say to me?”

He looks down again, the anger melting off his face into an almost embarrassed expression. “M’sorry,” he mumbles, starting to flush slightly.

 _Hmm, this is interesting._ You raise your eyebrows and begin to smirk. “I didn’t quite catch that, can you say it again?”

His flush starts to spread to his neck. “I’m sorry.”

Your smirk turns to a full-out, shit-eating grin. “Say it one more time for the people in the back.”

“Fuck! I’m trying to apologize to you and you’re making it so much harder.”

You start to laugh. “Oh my god, this is rich. Karkat Vantas is actually apologizing to someone in his life. This is amazing; I can’t believe I was given the honor of taking away your apology virginity.” You’re legitimately cackling now.

Karkat turns to leave, muttering something under his breath. You can make out the words “inflamed quaking bladder” and “crusty prepubescent idiotic sheep“.

Your vision goes red, and the only sound you can hear is the roar of blood in your ear. You grab his shoulder, wheeling him around to face you. His mouth opens in shock, and you’re caught off guard slightly by his dark eyes narrowing and looking straight at you with that familiar rage, you’re sliding into a strange fantasy; _him on top of you, biting into your neck, gripping your shoulders as you wrap your legs around his bare back—_

You snap out of it. “You wanna say that shit, sweetie? Say it to my face!”

“Fine! I think that you’re a secretion of my inflamed quaking bladder, and your behavior and appearance are that of a crusty prepubescent idiotic sheep who hasn’t been shorn for two years, and I don’t get why I even came here!” His mouth stretches open so widely while he continues his spiel that you can see his uvula, and you drift off again, imagining your tongue in his mouth, your nails scratching down his back—

“And I hope that you drive your idiot motorcycle off the cliff of stupidity.” He seems to have concluded his rant; he takes a deep inhale and the gentle flush starts flowing out of his face.

“Well, I think it’s sweet that you came all the way to see me, shouty.” You wink at him salaciously, licking your lips.

“Can you close your slovenly mouth and end the cutesy cagey drivel that seems to spew out of you every time I see you?” He’s up in your face now, yelling at the top of his lungs.

“Or what?” You’re smirking at him, not quite sure how this is going to play out, but you intend to piss him off royally; God, you hate this guy.

“Or… Or….”

“That’s what I thought. Anything else before you leave, Karkles?”

You don’t know what you were expecting; an angry growl, a rant, another shitfit; but what you were certainly not prepared for is when Karkat grabs your chin, rage exploding across his face, and kisses you in a flurry of teeth and tongue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry for this reprehensible bullshit; I had to make sure they kissed at least once already. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯  
> follow me on tumblr at eightlegs-sevenvagurbas if you're into that


	3. Metaphase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vriska wakes up to a sight she's not sure she's ready for.

Light streams into your room, and your eye opens a crack. You stretch your long legs out to the edge of your bed, and the beauty of the sunrise and your room’s absolute silence is enough to make you sigh in contentment.

Then you hear a gentle sigh coming from right next to you.

You sit straight up in shock, throwing off your blanket, only to realize that you are completely naked. And your shock increases when you see who is lying in bed next to you.

Karkat’s black hair is spread on the pillow, and his breath comes out in little contented sighs as he smiles in his sleep. You’ve never seen him smile before; his long eyelashes flutter gently as he inhales, and you realize with a little bit of embarrassment that he’s got some serious morning wood.

And as you notice his boner, the events of last night start flooding back. And dear god, you are absolutely mortified.

_Karkat’s teeth biting down on your bottom lip, backing you up against your open door. You want to pull away, but somehow your lips cannot bring themselves to tear away from his. He grabs the door and slams it shut, staring you down with dark, fiery eyes._

_“You’re absolutely disgusting. I want you so fucking badly.”_

_Your mouth, still numb from Karkat’s vicious attack, somehow manages to spit out a response, one that screams everything you don’t want to say, a response that fells your iron façade._

_“Prove it.”_

_And he’s on top of you, roughly pushing you backwards onto the bed and shoving his tongue into your mouth. His hands pin yours down as he pulls away and starts a vicious onslaught on your neck. You’re pretty sure that you’ll have hickeys for weeks after this, but somehow you don’t care, just as long as he keeps grinding his hips into yours, obviously starting to pitch a tent. He nips at your collarbone, causing you to moan in a mixture of pain and **oh holy fuck**_ **.** _His hand leaves yours, begins to work the button on your shorts, and—_

Oh god. Oh god, you fucked Karkat Vantas. You ran around the baseball field five times over with Karkat Vantas. This is not how you wanted it to go at all.

Then why does a tiny part of you want to do it all over again?

 

Your panic is interrupted by Karkat’s stirring next to you. His eyes open softly, and when he catches sight of you, he leaps straight up, banging his head on your bottom bunk.

“What the fuck? What in the name of God’s blistering anal sphincter am I doing here? Did I—did we—oh my god, we did. We had sex. Oh my god. Oh my god. This is fucking horrendous.”

You would tell him to stop, except he’s voicing your exact thoughts. His face has paled, and his eyes widen until they’re practically bugging out of his head.

“I cannot _believe_ this fuckery. Oh my god. You—you rode my dick. I let you ride my dick.”

Oh god. You did. You rode his dick for upwards of ten minutes. You look down between your legs. _Traitorous bitch._

“Oh god. I actually made you—“He stutters a little bit, then blushes and shoves his head down into the covers.

You would laugh, if you weren’t in the same shocked state that he was. “Orgasm. That’s the word you’re looking for.”

He sighs into the sheet, which muffles his words. “Oh my god, that’s fucking repulsive. I am going to throw up all over these sin-stained sheets and run screaming into the fiery gates of hell, in which I will constantly allow Satan to ram his burning cock into my ass in hopes of being burned from the inside out.”

Well, fuck it if you’re going to let him rant like this without making it at least ten times more awkward. “Actually, I came eight times last night. Twice when you were fingering—“

“No, no, no, no, no. This is a nightmare. This is a vision induced by my stress of being a college student. I am going to wake up, you’re going to be gone, and—wait, did you say eight times?”

You pretend not to notice that his voice is tinged with pride.

“Yeah. You should probably take a look at your back, might wanna get some of those scratches cleaned up. We really, really got it on last night.” There is smugness basically oozing out of all your orifices.

He sighs, sits back up, and rubs at his temples. “Shit.”

You look at each other awkwardly, and you don’t know about him, but you’re thinking about lunging at him and going for round two of sloppy makeouts.

“Goddamn it, Vantas.”

“Yeah, you can say that again.”

“You irritate the hell out of me, and I barely know anything about you, yet I slept with you and really enjoyed it.”

He looks down at the blankets. “Yeah, you can say that again.”

“So you enjoyed it too?”

“Um. Yeah.” His face is trying not to smile awkwardly, and you think that that’s adorable. “You’re the absolute worst, you’re a vile, repulsive creep, but I kind of want to stick my dick in all your orifices, you know?”

“Yeah. I know.”

As the two of you sit in silence, you start to take in the parts of his body not covered by the blanket. Smooth, well-muscled arms, shoulder blades giving way to a back where deltoids ripple under the skin. For such a skinny guy, he’s incredibly ripped; his abdomen isn’t a six-pack, but you can see the muscle when he breathes in and out. The guy works out apparently; you catch of his butt as he shifts, and it’s surprisingly round and supported. To your immediate shame and regret, the first thought that you think is “Damn, that Vant-ass.”

“So how do you stay that fit in college?” The question slips out before you can even think about it, but he shrugs and answers anyway.

“My dad is a preacher, my brother followed in his footsteps, and both of them wanted me to embrace religion. So I rebelled, around the time I was 17, and started taking a knife-fighting course from my ex-girlfriend, who’s a cop in my hometown. She generally fought with a sword, but she taught me pretty well, and now I can hold my own in hand-to-hand combat. I keep my scythe about three miles off campus at a farmhouse that my boss owns.”

You don’t really know why he’s still in your bed, but you that you want to keep talking to him. “Scythe? People use those?”

“No, not in combat. But it’s my favorite weapon, and somehow I get a thrill while using it. It’s the power. With my scythe, I feel confident, strong, almost godly. He—“He trails off, looking somewhat embarrassed.

“’He’?” Your eyebrows raise in confusion. “You named your scythe?” A laugh starts to bubble up behind your lips, and a smirk steals across your face.

“Fucking hell, Serket. I told you something personal, and you’re laughing about it. I don’t even know why I told you anything to begin with.” He makes a move to get out of bed, but you close your fingers on his arm.

“What’d you name it?”

His eyes narrow, an expression you’re becoming steadily familiar with. “Why should I tell you? You’re just going to laugh at me, and I’ll feel like shit for trying to confide in you.”

You look into his eyes with a new intensity, trapping him with your gaze. “Tell me.”

He squirms a bit, then sighs in defeat. “Mayor.”

You raise your eyebrows even further, then catch yourself. “If it makes you feel any better, I named my favorite RP die Snowman.”

You look at each other again. Unfortunately, when Karkat looks from your face to your chest, you realize that you’re still naked. Sighing, you get out of bed, your hair tickling your back, and you pull some clothes out of your laundry basket. As you step into your boxer shorts, Karkat does the same, and in a few moments, you’re both fully dressed.

You nod towards the door. “Well… I guess I’ll see you in bio.”

“Yeah. See you then.”

And then he does the unthinkable. He leans forward and gives you a very different kiss from the ones last night. This one is sweet, gentle, and conveys an emotion you’re not sure you know. You lean into him, and you find that in his warmth, you feel strangely calm. With your hands around his neck and your neck leaning up to kiss him, you feel a heat travel from your toes all the way up to your head. It’s beautiful.

He pulls away, and the two of you, almost in unison, reach up to your lips. Yours are soft and slightly wet, and you look at his eyes, which are filled to the brim with the same mysterious emotion that you felt moments ago.

And suddenly, the moment is broken. Karkat stands up and walks briskly towards the door. Without saying a word, he slams it shut, and you can hear his footsteps echo down the hall.

It’s going to be a hell of a day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dear god. This is. Wow. *sweats*


	4. Prophase

You trudge into your biology class, aware that you look an utter mess.

One thing that you hadn’t taken into account when looking at yourself was the sheer amount of bruises on your body. Unfortunately, you were absolved of your ignorance when Feferi walked into your room, squealed in shock, and said that you looked like you’d floundered your way out of a rough situation. She wasn’t wrong, per se; there’s a smattering of hickies on your neck, all the way from the throat to your collarbone. You don’t even want to talk about your stomach; there is a straight line of purple bruising from the top of your ribcage past your waistline. Your hips are peppered with even more bruises. The worst of it, though, is on your back. Etched into your skin are six letters, scratched there with blunt nails; _KARKAT_. He actually scratched his name into your back. You would be lying if you said that wasn’t incredibly sexy. 

When you sit down near the back of the room, you notice classmates staring at you. A few of them look at each other like _holy shit, she got laid?_ A few others are snickering into their sleeves, slyly glancing at you. You start to get up, ready to give those weaklings a piece of your mind.

And then Karkat walks in.

You didn’t realize how much damage you’d done until you see it. There is a bitemark on his cheekbone, bruises below his ear; most of your handiwork was above the collar. He ducks his head down and sits a few desks in front of you, trying to avoid the gazes of the other kids. Unfortunately, they seem to have made the connection between him and you; you can see a few mouths dropping open with the realization.

Quiet laughter echoes around the room when Doc Scratch enters, and he immediately takes the two of you in. You could swear to a jury that the corner of his mouth lifts just a fraction, and when he makes eye contact with you, the entire room freezes.

“Ms. Serket. Mr. Vantas. I trust the two of you enjoyed your days off? From the state of both of you, I can assume that you’ve gotten into another scrap. Possibly of another nature, but it’s not my place to say.” His white eyebrows raise, daring you to contradict him.

“Well, I certainly hope that you learned your lesson and that you will keep your squabbles out of my classroom.” The message is clear; _don’t mess with me._

After a few moments of searing eye contact, he turns to the board. “Now, today our focus will be on chromatograms and how to understand them. In order to read a chromatogram properly, you must first focus your attention on the color change…”

You tune him out, folding up a piece of notebook paper. Aiming the paper straight in front of you, you fire over the row of empty seats and hit Karkat square in the back of the head. He starts in shock, then turns around and gives you a furious look. You point to the paper, which has landed on the floor next to him, and he unfolds it to read your messy cerulean script.

_What was that a8out?_

His pencil scratches on the paper, almost tearing it. The response comes hurtling back at you.

_WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU ON ABOUT?_

_You know what. Why are you acting like I don’t exist?_

_I’M NOT DOING ANYTHING LIKE THAT, DUMBASS, I DON’T KNOW WHAT YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT._

_Um, yeah. That’s why you left my apartment in a puffy moody asshole rage. Give it up, Vantas! What’s your issue?_

_THERE’S NO ISSUE EXCEPT FOR THE FACT THAT YOU’RE AN ENORMOUS BITCH AND I DON’T WANT TO TALK TO YOU RIGHT NOW. OR AT ALL FOR THAT MATTER._

Your hand wavers slightly while reading that, but you mask your surprise and hurt.

_I didn’t even do anything, you shit, and you have no right to ignore me._

_SAYS FUCKING WHO?_

_I’m not gonna ask you again, what’s your deal?_

_OK, YOU WANNA KNOW WHAT MY DEAL IS? HERE’S MY GODDAMN DEAL. HERE IS MY DEAL LAID OUT ON A PLATE FOR EVERYONE TO SEE. HERE IS MY DEAL LIFTED INTO THE SKY LIKE FUCKING SIMBA._

_I SHOULDN’T FEEL LIKE THIS ABOUT YOU. THAT’S MY FUCKING DEAL. YOU’RE REPULSIVE, YOU’RE VILE, YOU’RE A BACKSTABBER, AND I CANNOT STAND YOU. I DON’T KNOW WHY I WANT YOU SO BADLY, OR WHY I’M SO OBSESSED WITH WANTING TO TEAR YOU DOWN AND DOMINATE YOU. I WANT YOU TO LIKE ME. I LIKE YOU A FAIR AMOUNT AND I DON’T WANT TO ACTUALLY CARE ABOUT YOU._

_So? You’re the actual worst. 8ut that doesn’t mean that I don’t want to make out with you over and over again. And trust me, I really, really like the whole dominance thing. Plus, we’re both craving the same thing. This liaison is mutually beneficial._

_SOUNDS MORE LIKE MUTUALLY ASSURED DESTRUCTION IF YOU ASK ME._

_If I say you can come over after class and mess around with me, will you stop being such a whiny piss8a8y?_

_… YEAH, OKAY. FINE._

Doc Scratch clears his throat from the front of the room. You look up in surprise, only to find that he’s staring right back at you and Karkat.

“Ah yes, my favorite troublesome students. Make your sexual plans later; if you want to pass this class, you must control your impulses.”

How the hell did he know what you and Karkat were talking about? Your cheeks grow hot, and you bite back a retort. Karkat looks like he’s about to do the same, but he looks down in humiliation, no doubt holding in a barrage of curses. It’s really cute how his dark skin flushes in embarrassment, and a warm, affectionate heat travels through your body, making you a little bit light-headed.

You’ve got one foot in the frying pan, one foot in the fire, and your entire body dangling above the ovens. And you don’t care.


	5. Interphase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The end. There's some angst. Lots of cliches. It's three thirty A.M.

It’s one in the morning, and Karkat is lying next to you, his arm draped across your shoulder. You’re snuggled up under his arm, and his nose is buried in your hair. You look at him, and his eyes gaze back at you, and you could swear they’re filled with stars. And you think, maybe, just maybe, you should ask him. You know that it’ll ruin everything, but in the long run, you know you have to.

“Karkat.”

He grunts, turning over onto his side. “What?”

“I gotta ask you something. It’s a tough question, so buckle down.”

He leans in and bites your lip gently. “Can this wait? I’ve got another agenda to pursue.”

You sit up, shifting into a cross-legged position. “Seriously,” you take a deep breath, “Are we a thing?”

“A thing?” His eyebrows quirk a little bit. “We’ve slept together twice now, I’ve kissed you incredibly gently, and we were literally spooning for the past hour. If that doesn’t constitute a thing, then I don’t know what does.” The corner of his mouth turns up a little bit. “Do you want to be a thing? As far as commitment’s concerned, you don’t seem like that type.”

You flinch like he’s hit you. “Yeah. You’re right. Of course you’d immediately assume that some bitchy girl who you slept with has commitment issues. Well, I’m sure you know oh so much about my life and about how my relationships have failed, and my emotional trauma and background and absolutely everything. I bet you’ve got me all figured out. Did your bible-thumping upbringing help with that?”

His eyes go wide, and you know you’ve hit a nerve. “What the fuck is wrong with you? I just said-“

“I _know_ what you said. But you don’t know shit about me.”

“Well then, why don’t you fucking tell me, Vriska? If this is gonna work out, you need to be honest like me. Stop it with the cagey bullshit and give it to me straight.” His tone is a mix of fury and annoyance. “Tell me, or I’m going to leave right now.”

You sit in silence.

 

He hauls himself out of the bed, dresses quickly, and heads for the door, his back to you.

“I was sixteen.” The words shock you, even though they’re coming from your throat.

He pauses, then turns around and sits back on the bed.

“Karkat, I was in an incredibly abusive relationship. There was name-calling and violence, there was manipulation, there was a lot of dominance and bullying, but most of all there was just pure cruelty. We broke up twice, once when I left him, once where he left me.”

“Vriska. Are you sure you’re all right telling me this? Look, I pressured you, but if you don’t want to say anything, then… God. If I saw that guy, I’d kick his ass—“

“It was me.” You’re starting to choke, hoping that it isn’t obvious.

He raises his eyebrows. “What was you?”

“I was the fucking abuser, Karkat. When I first started liking him at 13, I pushed him down a flight of stairs and broke both his legs. I called him a spineless coward and a doormat. Then I made him stay with me, and I made it impossible for him to leave.” There are tears prickling at your eyelids.

Karkat’s mouth is wide open. He tries to speak, but all that comes out is breath.

“I’m not going to excuse myself for that because of my past. I’m still at fault for what happened.” You never take responsibility for your actions, but here you are, sitting and crying. This boy is changing you, and you’re not sure how to feel about it.

“My mother was a murderer, a rapist, a thief, and I grew up around all that. She got taken away from me when I was 12, but I was still emotionally stunted as hell. I manipulated and lied and cheated because that’s the only thing I know how to do after living that life. And when my boyfriend left me, I fell apart. So if you wanna say that I seem like the kind of girl who doesn’t want commitment, then you’re right. You’re goddamn right, and I hope you’re happy now. I just fucked up everything between us. I’ll see you around.”

You turn your back to him, and there is a silent eternity that hovers around you. And then his warm palm touches the ridge of your spine.

“I guess people change.”

You blink. “What the fuck does that mean? I just told you about my past, which is horrifying enough to make someone run screaming, yet you say I changed?”

“You owned up to it. And you say that you’re a liar, but you didn’t lie about that. Vriska, you’re an asshole, but a good asshole. And I promise you that I still like you. And god help me, I will end this relationship if it shows any hint of abuse from _either of us_ , but I don’t think it will.”

Tears begin to stream from your eyes. “We treat each other like shit. We hate each other.”

“Yeah. I know. You’re a worthy enemy and an even more worthy girlfriend.”

 

And when you look into his eyes, they’re still star-filled, a galaxy reflected in his irises. Your hands are connected by their fingertips, and you realize that from the end of this journey, you’re starting a whole new one through the very fabric of space.

**Author's Note:**

> First chapter written, god knows how many more to go.


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